The Giants had hoped to sign running back Saquon Barkley to a long-term deal, and to tag quarterback Daniel Jones. When they couldn’t finalize something with Barkley, they signed the quarterback and tagged the running back.
After that, they tried to trade the running back.
Per multiple sources, the Giants called a dozen teams in an effort to find a potential trade partner, back in the March/April time frame. The calls came at the request of Barkley’s representation.
The Giants obviously found no takers. It’s unclear what they wanted. Barkley was trying to get, we’re told, a contract that pays something in the range of $15 million to $16 million per year.
While Saquon might be inclined to tweet cap emojis regarding that fact, his expectations were reasonable. He’s worth that much, especially if Jones is somehow worth $40 million annually. But the circumstances and the system worked against Barkley. In hindsight, he likely regrets not taking the best offer the Giants had on the table before tagging him.
Now, he has a one-year deal that pays up to $11 million, and the Giants can tag him again in 2024. And maybe, come next year, the Giants will try to trade him again, if the two sides can’t work out a long-term deal — and if the Giants choose to tag him a second time.
